Witch's Sapphire

WITCH’S SAPPHIRE

Late one rainy night, Elizabeth was driving home to her small town just outside of Manchester, her high beams gleaming off the dark forest around her. As she came around a curve she noticed a hooded figure standing on the side of the road. She instantly pulled to a stop.

“Hello?” She calls out as she rolls down her window. “Are you alright?”

“I have lost my cane, dear.” The hooded figure responds. “I cannot get home without it.”

“I could give you a lift.” Elizabeth offered.

“That’s very kind of you.” She accepts. Once inside, Elizabeth got a better glimpse, noting it was an elderly woman. Her sharp blue eyes warned Elizabeth to be weary.

“Where am I taking you?” Elizabeth asks.

“Just a ways down the road.” The elder responded. “I’ll tell you when to stop. What is your name?” The woman asks her, still watching Elizabeth as she tries to focus on driving through the storm.

“Lizzy,” she says.

“Where is your partner?” the woman asks.

“I do not have one.” Elizabeth replies.

“You are wearing a ring.” The elder notes, nodding to Elizabeth’s hand.

“My husband died twenty years ago.”

“It still makes you sad, doesn’t it?”

“Not really anymore. I grieved and moved on over time.” Elizabeth explains. “I just love the ring.” The elder tilts her head.

“It is quite lovely.” The woman agrees. She pauses, as if expecting Elizabeth to say something. When she does not, the woman asks. “Do you desire money?”

“I do not.” Elizabeth assures, aware of how strange these questions were.

“Do you have a lot?”

“I am happy with what I have.” Elizabeth replies patiently. “I am old, and have enough to live my life while also supporting my family.” The elder tilts her head the other way, somewhat unnaturally, but Elizabeth did not comment.

“Where are you traveling from?”

“I’ve just been visiting my daughter in Edinburgh.” Elizabeth replies.

“That’s a long drive to make.”

“She just had a baby.” Elizabeth shrugs, smiling softly.

“You are a good mother, Lizzy.” The woman says.

“Thank you.” Elizabeth says, and notices a treacherous smile spread across the elder’s face. She watched Elizabeth for a moment before speaking.

“You can let me off here.” Elizabeth comes to a stop, and pulls out her own walking staff from the back seat. She hands it to the woman. The elder’s eyes glint with surprise.

“To walk the rest of your way.” Elizabeth offers. The elder stares at the staff, like she wasn’t sure what to make of this exchange. Then she grabbed it, her smile gone, and nodded her head in what seemed to be a gesture of gratitude before getting out of the car.

“Enjoy the rest of your night!” Elizabeth’s instincts made her call out. The elder just stood there, watching Elizabeth as she started to drive away again. Looking in her rearview mirror, Elizabeth’s neck hair stood on end to see that the elder was already gone.

The next afternoon Elizabeth walked down her driveway to retrieve her mail. She gasped as she pulled a small package out of the mailbox. There was no name or address written.

“For me?” Elizabeth asked. She teared open the package as she walked toward the house, and revealed a beautiful red leather case. “Oh my”, Elizabeth whispers, running a hand over the smooth top. She pulled it open and gasped before dropping it onto the ground. Quickly picking it up, she brushed off the dirt and peeked inside to make sure nothing had fallen out. Shaking with shock, she sat down on the porch step, and opened up the case again.

Nestled inside were two dazzling sapphire earrings. The bright spring sun glinted rainbows in the sterling silver frames, and danced blue hues on the wooden porch floor. They were easily the most beautiful things she had ever seen. With excitement, she bounded back into her house.

Elizabeth put on a long black dress, and propped a hand mirror against some Bronte novels and the small black notebook she wrote her poetry in so that she could apply her makeup more closely. She pulled her white-blonde hair back into a smooth bun, curling stray pieces with her fingers as she opened the leather case. She carefully put each earring on. She turned her head slowly, admiring the way they dazzled around her cheek bones. She smiled at her attire, and then headed out for Manchester.

She felt like a duchess as she took herself to dinner at an expensive French restaurant, sampling the wines and indulging in dessert. She strolled around the city and went into several fancy boutiques. She made sure to turn her head towards store attendants and customers who complimented her on her earrings.

She came upon a gem shop, and decided to peek in and see what her bedazzlements had to compete with. The clerk eyed her with interest, as she made her way around the display cases of diamond jewelry.

“Hello,” She says, glad to have his eyes narrow in on her earrings.

“Welcome in.” He greets, “Might I just take a glimpse at those stunning earrings of yours?” Elizabeth takes them off and hands them to him. He inspects them intently, holding them up to the light.

“My, what a lucky lady you are to have a pair of these.” The man comments finally, setting them onto the counter.

“Are they expensive?” Elizabeth couldn’t help asking.

“Madam, those are at least worth $20,000. Depending on who’s buying, possibly even more. $20,000 is how much I would price them for.” Elizabeth stared at him in awe, wondering how she came into that much money from just a simple package.

“I didn’t know blue sapphire held that much value.” Elizabeth admitted.

“Well it can, but that’s Witch’s Sapphire. At first glance it seems the same, but if you look more closely you can see the rainbow hue it has. It is much harder to find than regular sapphire.”

“Then wouldn’t it be priced more, if it’s rarer?”

“You would think so, but there’s a lot of controversy around the Witch’s Sapphire. Men who used to mine it would suddenly fall ill or find misfortune in their coven. Myth became that the faes and other spirits worship the Witch’s Sapphire and the strange powers it beholds. They will curse those who try to steal it from the mountains.”

“But I didn’t steal these!” Elizabeth exclaimed, feeling scared. “They were given to me. I got them in a package.”

“Maybe one gifted it to you,” he suggests. “Some will do that, if they like you enough.” he laughs, “or they just want to mess with you. Who knows.”

“How do you know if you’ve encountered one?”

“I’m not sure, since they can take on the appearance of humans. But you are supposed to be polite around them, and avoid letting them into your home. And never say thank you.”

“Why can’t I say thank you?” Elizabeth asks.

“They see it as you being indebted to them. They always come to collect, whether it be your favorite socks or your kid.” The man shrugs and laughs again. He slides the earrings back to her. “Either way you are very lucky. I don’t believe in that nonsense so if you’re ever interested in selling them, let me know.”

Elizabeth left the shop feeling uneasy. She had been in Edinburgh up until last night, and had not let anyone into her house.

But I did let one into my car, she realized. The woman she had driven home. She had known when the woman entered her car that something was off. She couldn’t remember what she had said exactly, but Elizabeth knew she had said thank you at one point. Fear crept into the forefront of her mind.

Elizabeth went back to her car. She drove out of the city until she reached the dirt road that she had left the elder at the night before. Elizabeth got out of the car and went to the head of the path. There was an eerie stillness to the air and Elizabeth knew instantly that she was not welcomed to venture.

Unsure of what else to do, Elizabeth set the leather case with the earrings on the ground. She pulled off her engagement ring and set it on top of the case. She whispered to the trees “I appreciate your act of kindness.” Before going back into her car and driving back home.

The following afternoon, Elizabeth went out to retrieve the mail.

As she pulled the envelopes out, she noticed her walking stick leaning against the mailbox. She picked it up, and as she looked more closely at it she could see the rainbow specks of the Witch’s Sapphire embedded into the staff.

Elizabeth went out to Peak District National Park. After hiking all day with her walking cane, she drove back to the dirt road. Leaving the engine running, Elizabeth came out with her beautiful staff and her small black poetry notebook. She laid them on the path. She says, “I appreciate your kindness” once more, before getting back into her car. As she drove off, she glanced in her rearview mirror to see that the staff and notebook were both gone. She sighs, wondering what her indefinite debt would be tomorrow.